A Broken Truth

21: Lost

My eyes widened in fear. I looked around and found a blood trail to my left. I reluctantly followed the trail. When I turned the corner, I saw Connor's lifeless body laying in a puddle of blood.

I screamed as I lost my balance and fell down. I saw Serena and Isaac charging at me, but a barrier formed before they could get to me. They kept hitting the barrier, but it wouldn't break. I looked back at Connor's corpse in horror.

I cried, "C-Connor...no..."

Suddenly, I heard laughter. I looked up and saw Arthur standing tall with his red, bloody hands. He looked happy, like he was proud of himself. I had a flashback of my father's corpse and panicked. My anxiety was overflowing.

"N-No...stop!" I sobbed.

"Oh, look at you now. What happened to the tough girl who could punch through her fears? You stood on the ice for much too long. You told me emotions were important, yet your emotions broke you. Now you're drowning in them, Finley." Arthur kneeled down to my eye level and spoke with a deep voice, "Choosing the right emotions to tamper with can put you in such a fragile state."

Arthur grabbed my arm with a tight grip and dragged me closer to Connor, "Let this be a reminder not to defy me again. I know you're smart enough to learn from your mistakes. Don't disappoint me next time." He threw me back against the wall and disappeared along with the barrier.

Isaac and Serena ran to me. They were worried and scared, like I was.

Isaac kneeled down and looked at me, "I saw Arthur. He didn't hurt you did he?"

I didn't answer. I was still crying as I stared at Connor's corpse and pointed at him to make Isaac notice. Isaac went silent when he noticed the body. I looked at Serena and she was already crying.

"D-Did Arthur do this?" She asked in terror.

I nodded, "I-It's...my punishment. This is my fault..."

I'm so sorry Connor, I didn't mean for this to happen...

Isaac looked back at me, "It's not your fault, it's Arthur's! He broke the #1 rule that Entities must follow...an Entity can't kill a human being on human territory...that bastard is going to pay for this!"

I saw a light near Connor. It was coming from his phone. I grabbed it and saw that there was a video. I pressed play. It was Arthur.

"I hope you learned your lesson, Finley. You are mine to control. Everything is mine to control. You know, I found an interesting video on this device. I wonder how the police will react when they see it. I know you're riled up by this...and that's exactly what I want."

The video ended and I dropped the phone, "We need to leave. Now."

Serena and Isaac nodded and we ran back home. Luckily, we weren't followed and we slammed the door behind us after we entered the house.

"After all this, that damn video got posted! Now the police will be after you again!" Serena yelled.

I didn't respond. I felt guilty of what happened. I knew Arthur was the one that did all of it, but I was the one who angered him.

I looked down, "I know, I'm sorry..."

Without saying another word, I staggered into my room and softly closed the door. I leaned against the wall and sunk to the floor in tears. After I cried, I took out the book from my bag and flipped through the pages. I knew crying wouldn't solve anything.

The antedote has to be in here somewhere...

By the time I finished looking through the book, it was three in the morning. Unfortunately I couldn't sleep. I decided to shower to pass the time then I put pajamas on. I placed the book back in my bag and lay in bed.

There's no point in any of this. The antedote isn't in the book and Arthur will keep killing people if I resist...there's nothing else I can do...I have to do what he says. I'm too weak to stop him...

I frowned and curled up in my blanket. I drifted off to sleep. I didn't dream that night. When I woke up, I lay in my bed for an hour. I didn't want to get up.

I heard a knock on my door before it opened. It was Serena. She was wearing her pajamas.

"Finley, are you ok? You're usually awake before me." She said as she walked in.

I slowly sat up and sighed, "I'm fine. I just didn't get as much sleep as I wanted..."

Serena sat on my bed and looked at me with a worried expression, "Fine? Come on, so much happened yesterday there's no way you can be fine. You don't need to be sorry for anything. It's not your fault."

I looked down, "That's what everyone keeps telling me, but it is my fault. Arthur was right."

Serena frowned, "No, Arthur is telling you lies. He's wrong about you. You're a better person than he'll ever be."

I lay back down and turned away from Serena, "I'm just gonna stay here and wait for his next call...thanks for checking on me."

She sighed, "Alright, I hope that soon you'll see yourself the way I see you. You're my best friend. I wouldn't even be talking to you if you were like Arthur."

Serena stood up and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Is that so? Then why are you still talking to me? All I've done is cause trouble for everyone.

Soon after that thought entered my head, my phone rang. I picked it up and answered.

"Hello..."

Arthur laughed, "You sound a little discouraged. Did something happen?"

I didn't respond to him. I held my anger in as much as I could.

His level of confidence was annoying. "Oh, did I strike a nerve? Didn't I tell you not to let your emotions get in the way? Oh well, you're still learning. Anyway, I have a little mission for you: I want you to deliver a letter for me. Get the letter from me at The Other Side. I'll meet you at the entrance. Don't keep me waiting too long, Finley."

Arthur hung up. I sighed and reluctantly left my bed. I put on different clothes and I put on my shoes. I took my phone and walked out of my room. I saw Isaac on my way out. He disappeared and returned to my mind without saying a word. I left the house feeling dreadful and exhausted.